...would be much more interesting to hear your thoughts on why you liked each piece.
Ok I'll try but as I've gone past the time period of being able to modify my original posts, I'll have to just list my reasons here for those I've already posted.
Jeff Soto - The Sun Rises Again:
I tend to gravitate towards works that have high detail levels so you can keep going back to them and seeing new things. That was part of my childhood fascination with the Iron Maiden album covers designed by Derek Riggs (but we'll leave them in the appropriate thread) and one of the reasons I like this piece.
Much of Soto's early work, when he was more of a street artist was based around a character known as the Soto Fish, a spherical face and you can see that it's central to this piece. As well as the immense detail level and the fact that it is clearly composed of multiple layers, I love the colour pallet he's used and it looks just as great when you're stood back from it and taking in the piece as a whole.
Jeff Soto - The Corruption of Mankind:
Many of my reasons for liking this piece are the same as those I've mentioned above. It's also a little more dramatic with a real sense of motion, you can imagine it being accompanied by the sound of thunder and screams!
Again, the signature Soto Fish is visible to the right so it's one for the fans. I also love the rainbow-like colours used towards the centre of the image that look almost fluorescent against the dark, cloudy background.
Jeff Soto - Pearl Jam tour poster:
Admittedly, part of the appeal is that I'm a fan of the band and that particular concert was amazing but it's also an interesting piece of work for me because it combines the contrasting styles of Soto and McPherson. I really need to get this framed!
Sam Flores - Beauty in Trouble (Reign of the Rainbow Goblins):
Something that intrigues me about Flores' work is that he can create incredibly detailed pictures with beautiful shading yet manage to maintain an almost cartoon-like feel to them and that's evident in both of the pieces I've posted.
With this particular image, the interesting thing is that it can be interpreted in different ways with each viewer attaching their own stories to it. Those little people seem obsessed with colour or are they just possessive over it to stop the Goblins from stealing it? Maybe the colours are in fact harvested from Goblins they have slain? Did they create the coloured garment for that girl or do they want it?
Sam Flores - Dragon Tree:
Featuring the same girl (seemingly) as in the first image, she's in an almost identical pose and still looking vulnerable. Again, one thing I like is that it can be seen in at least two ways. Is she aware of the dragon and under it's protection or is she about to be attacked?
In this case, I also like the fact that minimal colours are used, except for in the garment towards the centre of the piece.
Keith P Rein - ZooeyI don't take Rein's artwork as seriously as the others but still enjoy looking at it. In this piece, the appeal is quite obvious, it's Zooey Deschanel with her piercing blue eyes that usually give her a look of angelic innocence but the image has been altered to give her a slasher movie pose. If you search for Keith P Rein, you'll find he's done a range of these with different celebrities called 'Slaughterhouse Starlets'.
This happens to be the lock screen wallpaper on my phone.
Keith P Rein - The Scream:
Quite simply, this has that 'what happens next?' appeal to it. The girl is clearly vulnerable and you'd expect she's about the get eaten but then, what is she doing there in the first place? Maybe she is being kept there? I don't know but it's a nice piece of art and I like the way her hair is being blown back by the force of the dragon's roar.
Keith P Rein - Bombs Away:
Although this is very well painted, I like this purely as it amuses me. Again, Rein has taken an image and changed the context completely. Where as in 'Zooey' he took something sweet and made it bad, he pretty much did the opposite here!
Piper Rudich - Wolf Hunter:
This is the calm AFTER the storm to me. The suggestion is that she has hunted and killed a wolf, leaving her with cuts and bruises but ultimately she won and is now winding down with a cigarette. The obvious question it raises is how someone so cute and fragile looking could have achieved such a thing and that's why I like it. Looking at her, I imagine she's had a hard life and perhaps had to leave home and fend for herself? I also like the girls eyes and the way her makeup has run slightly, maybe she's upset by what she 'had' to do?
Piper Rudich - Faith Girl:
Ok, I'll admit, this is almost entirely a sexual thing. Dressed as an angel but clearly, to me, VERY bad! I like her hair and the way she looks out of the picture at you. I just enjoy looking at this, simple as that.